Advice

During these uncertain times many universities are pausing face-to-face teaching and university students are having to take online lectures. For some students this might prove quite a challenge.

It may not be easy to regulate your own studying and to utilise online lectures and seminars to their full potential but here are some ways in which you can do so. This is a general overview for all students, but your university may have specific measures in place so be sure to keep checking your emails and online portal for updates. 

There is one thing that you should try to remember when choosing which subject to study at university. It should be something you enjoy and that you would be happy to study in-depth for the next few years. Consider the subjects you enjoy the most at school and then research similar courses that you can study at university.  

If you are looking for more detail about what each degree programme offers, then our guides below can help you decide which subject fits your interests and goals the best. 

Making friends at university can seem daunting, since most of your high school friends will have gone on to other colleges or other occupations, or are even in an entirely different country. As an international or native student, you can position yourself in a good place to make friends simply by being open to new experiences, attending new events and by starting up a conversation with a passer-by. Here are a few tips to get started:

1. Participate in orientation week events

Moving to Canada as an international student is both exciting and daunting. There is a unique culture here, so we have written about some of the things that we had to get used to when we first moved over. 

1. Food

While Canada does not have a lot of traditional dishes, poutine and maple syrup are popular and are often associated with Canada. Canadians pour maple syrup on pancakes, waffles and other foods as an act of patriotism. Poutine is French fries, smothered in gravy and cheese curds.

For many students who are considering studying abroad, one of the first hurdles to overcome is the application process, which varies between countries.

While some countries have a central system that enables you to apply to a limited number of universities in one go (such as Ucas in the UK) other countries, such as Switzerland, allow you to apply to as many universities as you want to but these must be applied to individually.

As application deadlines for universities around the world approach these are the grammatical rules that international applications should double check to ensure that their personal statements are up to standard.

Many students used the wrong prepositions (for example, “for”, “on”, “at”) and many do not consistently use the correct verb conjugation for the sentence subject. 

Applying to a British university can be a struggle, especially if you are not from the UK. The process, which is handled through a central admissions body called Ucas, requires you to submit, among other things, a personal statement and a reference letter.

The process may confuse not only you but also your parents. Yet rest assured that with some patience and care you can get through it all successfully, which will leave you feeling like you really can climb any mountains in your way.

“You have written an excellent paper, and I think that the second section could be a published paper. We should discuss this. Grade: A+.”

I felt so happy when I received this feedback from my professor for my midterm paper. This remark was more than just a compliment on my paper; it also helped me to recognise my strengths. It was the first time I had received feedback that motivated me to write future class papers. This experience shifted my mindset about academic writing for several reasons.

On 12 December, the UK public will once again head to polling stations, voting for the future of the country and determining how Brexit will play out, among many other important election issues.

One of these such issues is education, a key concern for university students. So I’ve gone through all the main party manifestos, picking out their key promises for higher education and education that may affect you while at university and post-graduation.